Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Business Trip
Chapter 17
On the weekend of a business trip, You Shanni woke up early in the morning with no appetite. She drank a cup of black coffee on an empty stomach, opened her phone to check it, and then put it down in annoyance.
Not wanting to stay bored in the hotel, she packed up her things and went out.
The hotel is less than five minutes' walk from WAN Plaza.
Of course You Shanni knew about this square. It was a key project that Zhuo Lu Construction had just completed this year. The company's boss was also invited to the opening reception and praised it highly after returning.
She has plenty of time today, so she plans to go shopping on her own.
But because she was in a bad mood, she was absent-minded when shopping.
The cell phone rang, and she looked at it expectantly, only to find it was home.
You Shanni took two steps forward, picked up the phone with a slightly lost look on her face, leaned on the railing in the middle of the floor, and chatted with her family for a few words.
The topics are nothing more than how she gets along with her boyfriend, how things are going, when she will officially put marriage on the agenda, etc.
Recently, every time she calls from home, the topic is always the same. She doesn't want to worry her parents, so she always tries to evade the topic.
How to say it.
In the workplace, she is decisive and resolute, but in relationships, she is indecisive, slow and self-destructive. The skills she has cultivated in the workplace are completely useless.
While dealing with her family on the other end of the phone, You Shanni saw a familiar face on the floor below through the gap in the glass railing.
This person seems to be the one who received me yesterday... Ruan Yan?
What a coincidence, is she here shopping?
You Shanni saw that she was not alone, and was accompanied by a man and a woman.
Three people walked into a clothing store side by side.
You Shanni didn't pay much attention to it and quickly turned her attention back to the phone.
"I know, Mom. I will take good care of myself. You and Dad should also take care of your health. Okay..."
After finally hanging up the phone, You Shanni breathed a sigh of relief.
After glanced down inadvertently, her gaze lingered.
The man and woman who had just entered with Ruan Yan were standing near the entrance of the clothing store.
Because of the transparent glass window, You Shanni could see the scene inside the store clearly.
The reason why her eyes stayed on the couple was that before she hung up the phone, she saw that the two of them were acting very intimately and looked like a couple.
But what is intriguing is that after she hung up the phone, she happened to see Ruan Yan walking towards them. At this moment, the state of the man and woman immediately changed.
They no longer acted intimate, and even intentionally kept their distance. Instead, Ruan Yan, who stood next to the man, looked closer to him.
You Shanni couldn't help but frown slightly, looked at Ruan Yan and the man, and then looked at the other woman who was distancing herself from the man.
It was so obviously and deliberately concealed that anyone who saw it would be able to detect the clues between this man and woman.
If it was really as she thought, the fact that they could act so blatantly under Ruan Yan's nose meant that they often did similar little things in private.
Although she had just started to interact with Ruan Yan, You Shanni felt that she was a very smart girl and she shouldn't be...
After a moment, she withdrew her gaze and felt a little worried.
I have a lot of troubles to deal with right now, so I don't have the time to care about other people's affairs.
Thinking of this, You Shanni's eyes darkened and she continued to wander aimlessly in the mall. From time to time, she raised her wrist to look at her mobile phone, then put it down in disappointment, looking a little uneasy.
Three days have passed and there is still no response.
Countless phone calls went unanswered, and messages fell on deaf ears. This was the umpteenth time they had engaged in a cold war.
No, it should be his one-sided cold war against her.
She threw her phone into her bag irritably, her fingertips touching the cool and smooth outer box of Marlboro. After thinking for a moment, she held back.
He didn't like her smoking, so she quit.
You Shanni still reluctantly raised her phone and dialed the number that had never responded.
During these three days, either the call was hung up, no one answered, or the call was out of service area.
This time, I was hung up again.
She dropped her arms in defeat.
There was even a hint of numbness amidst the resentment that had nowhere to vent.
How can a good relationship be so full of holes?
Feeling bad and feeling bored wandering around alone, You Shanni stepped off the escalator and prepared to go back to the hotel to rest.
The elevator slowly descended, and she casually glanced in an inconspicuous direction. She paused for a moment, then quickly turned back, her pupils widened, and she kept confirming over and over again.
The familiar figure at the door of the jewelry store made her so unbelievable that she thought it was her illusion.
Because there is someone beside him.
A woman.
By the time You Shanni came to her senses from her momentary confusion, she had already reached the ground level from the elevator.
The man who didn't answer her calls, didn't reply to her messages, and threw all her irritability, anxiety, uneasiness and weakness into the ice cellar and ignored them, now appeared leisurely in this city, with a graceful woman by his side, and the two of them behaved intimately.
In an instant, her head was buzzing, and a series of complex emotions such as anger, resentment, embarrassment, humiliation, etc. were intertwined and entangled, like a group of aggressive hornets, stinging her all over.
She didn't know how she walked over with weak legs and appeared silently behind the man. She heard her own voice was terrifyingly calm.
"Yang Hao."
The unsuspecting man turned around, and his relaxed expression froze when he saw who was coming.
"Sanny...why...are you here?"
The astonishment on his face seemed particularly ironic at this moment.
You Shanni didn't answer him, but turned her gaze to the woman in the chiffon skirt beside him, her tone still sounding calm: "Who is this person?"
Yang Hao's face looked very unnatural. The woman next to him saw that the atmosphere was not right and immediately understood the relationship between them. She subconsciously stepped back with an embarrassed and evasive expression.
You Shanni felt the blood rushing uncontrollably through her body. She tried her best to suppress her trembling voice and said, "I'm asking you a question, Yang Hao."
Yang Hao didn't want to attract attention in public, and planned to perfunctorily deal with it as usual. He reached out and pulled You Shanni's arm: "Don't make a fuss. If you have anything to say, we can talk about it when we get back..."
"I'm asking you who this woman is!" You Shanni shook off his hand and suddenly burst into tears. "You've been deliberately ignoring me these past three days. You were just accompanying her, right? When did you two start hooking up behind my back? If I hadn't caught you, how long would you have kept lying to me..."
The intense noise attracted more and more people to look over here. The jewelry store clerk was afraid that the situation would escalate, so he hurried forward to mediate.
Being the target of everyone's attention, and in this state, Yang Hao felt extremely embarrassed. He then became angry and said, "That's enough. What are you doing here?"
He straightened the wrinkled collar of his shirt. "What do you mean by hooking up? Don't talk nonsense. This is my colleague. He's on this business trip with me!"
"Look at yourself now. You're like a shrew. I still want you even if you don't have any shame!"
"You're so controlling, who could possibly stand you? And this time, you even deliberately followed me all the way to City C. Your behavior is truly terrifying!"
…
This barrage of scolding left You Shanni somewhat overwhelmed. She could only grasp the key words and explain, "I didn't come here to follow you. I also came here to work..."
Yang Hao didn't give her a chance to explain and continued, "Do you know how suffocating you are? Normally it would be fine, I would put up with it, but now you've seriously affected my work!"
There were groups of people watching the fun, pointing and talking at You Shanni from time to time.
Her mind was still confused and she was not awake. The drastic fluctuations in her emotions in a short period of time made her temporarily lose the ability to express herself verbally. She didn't know how to prove that she was not being unreasonable as he said. She could only stand there awkwardly and blankly, not knowing what to do.
At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded in the crowd.
"Manager You, so you are here!"
Someone appeared out of nowhere and ran up to You Shanni: "I just went to buy you coffee. The second floor didn't have your favorite flavor, so I ran downstairs to the mall to buy it."
You Shanni was still dazed and didn't react, letting the person in front of her pull her hand.
Ruan Yan didn't even look at the man, and just pulled You Shanni and walked through the crowd without looking around.
He pulled her out of the chaotic darkness in a cool and neat manner.
…
The outdoors is always lively on weekends. There are many children's entertainment facilities at the entrance of the shopping mall. Parents take their children back and forth, everyone runs and shouts, and the sound of laughter fills the air.
In the Starbucks on the first floor of the shopping mall, You Shanni stared blankly at the bustling crowd outside the glass window with a blank expression.
They look so happy.
Ruan Yan sat with her, staring out the window blankly without saying a word.
It was You Shanni who broke the silence first.
"Thank you for what you did just now."
"It's okay, you're welcome." Ruan Yan shrugged.
There was no awkward courtesy, nor unnatural caution. Ruan Yan's attitude surprised You Shanni a little, but she had to admit that this atmosphere made her more comfortable and relaxed. At least she didn't feel embarrassed in front of Ruan Yan.
But in order to ease the atmosphere and divert her attention, she found another topic.
"What a coincidence, we can run into each other at the mall on the weekend."
Seeing You Shanni's eyes fall on the shopping bags placed by the window, Ruan Yan replied, "Oh, I was bored, so I came out for a walk."
"I just saw you on the third floor, and there was someone else next to you." You Shanni took a sip of coffee.
Ruan Yan nodded: "Yes, my boyfriend and I, and... our female friend."
Sure enough, You Shanni's intuition was correct, but she didn't know how to say it.
"Just a female friend?" She paused, "I thought she was your boyfriend's relative, a younger sister or something like that."
Ruan Yan smiled and said, "The three of us were classmates before."
You Shanni hinted, "No wonder. I see your boyfriend and she seem to have a good relationship."
"Yes," Ruan Yan stirred the ice cubes at the bottom of her coffee cup with a straw, "they have always had a good relationship."
You Shanni was speechless for two seconds. It seemed like she was unaware of it?
This extreme insensitivity made You Shanni feel helpless.
"In my opinion, there is no such thing as pure friendship between men and women. Even if there is, such an exception would not happen to us."
"Really?" Ruan Yan suddenly thought of someone and seemed to be thinking about something.
Seeing Ruan Yan's indifferent look, You Shanni was really worried about her.
Perhaps because she had just experienced a betrayal that tore her apart, You Shanni, who rarely interfered with other people's feelings, couldn't help but pour out her heart.
"Don't trust men too much. I'm the best example. Everything I thought was indestructible ended up being a joke that slapped me in the face."
You Shanni tore open her bloody wound just to remind her, which Ruan Yan did not expect.
While she was surprised, she was still a little touched.
"I'm not afraid that you might think I'm deliberately trying to sow discord between you and your boyfriend. Even if you're angry, I still want to remind you that sometimes, you shouldn't be too trusting of the people around you. You need to be wary of anyone other than your family."
Ruan Yan put her hands on the table and said, "Thank you for telling me this, Manager You."
At first, You Shanni thought that she might just be thanking her out of formality and didn't fully understand what she meant. She was about to say something else, but when she looked up and met her eyes, the words that were about to come to her lips suddenly stopped.
Ruan Yan's eyes were firm and powerful, like a mirror, with a clear and penetrating look like seeing through fire.
The next second, You Shanni suddenly understood.
Maybe she already knew it.
Some things should be said in moderation.
You Shanni smiled and turned her gaze back to the window.
A glimmer of rosy clouds appeared on the horizon, but were soon covered by dark clouds, becoming turbid and dim.
It's so similar to her bad mood at the moment.
*
It was a rare free evening for Lu Peishi, so he sorted out old things at home.
This house was originally a gift from Lu Peishi's grandfather to his daughter for her eighteenth birthday.
When Lu Peishi was a child, Shen Qingling would often bring him here to stay for a while during summer vacation.
After she passed away, the house remained empty for many years. Although someone came to take care of it regularly, it still looked much older than the magnificent mansions around it.
However, Lu Peishi felt that every old trace in the house seemed particularly warm and beautiful. These mottled marks were the soft ribbons that tied together his childhood memories, and were also the most precious treasures in his heart.
This bedroom on the second floor was where Shen Qingling lived before she died.
Lu Peishi took out a small wooden box inlaid with glass from the closet.
When he opened it, he saw some of Shen Qingling's miscellaneous belongings inside, and a few slightly yellowed photos caught his attention.
He carefully picked them up and flipped through them one by one.
The photos all show Shen Qingling when she was young. In every photo, she is smiling happily, freely, unrestrainedly, and without restraint, with her eyes and eyebrows filled with unstoppable brightness.
It turns out that she was so happy in her youth.
His gaze lingered for a moment on a group photo.
Shen Qingling hooked her hand with a young woman and looked at the camera with a smile.
The young woman was wearing a camel-colored trench coat with a waistline. She smiled gently, and her round almond-shaped eyes were as clear as autumn water.
She immediately saw the shadow of that man on her face.
This must be Ruan Yan’s mother.
The two people's eyebrows and eyes are almost identical.
Lu Peishi vaguely remembered that Shen Qingling once mentioned that she and Ruan Yan's mother used to be good friends.
Continuing to flip through the pages, Lu Peishi paused.
In the photo, Shen Qingling is standing side by side with a man. Their movements are normal, but from their expressions, they seem to have a good relationship.
On the back of the photo, there was a slightly blurred handwriting written in pen:
May 11, 1996
Beiyao Village
It's this place again.
Lu Peishi silently put the photo down, his furrowed brows remained for a long time.
…
*
On Monday morning, You Shanni arrived at Zhuolu.
She was wearing a shirt and a short skirt, with delicate makeup, and she walked with a breeze. Her wavy hair was smooth and fluffy, with beautiful curves.
After one night, she was radiant again.
When passing by Ruan Yan's workstation, You Shanni glanced at her, and her originally sharp eyes softened a little.
Although she didn't say anything, Ruan Yan knew that You Shanni was greeting her.
She didn't shy away and showed her signature smile: "Manager You, good morning."
In the conference room, Fang Yuan, representing the team, explained the revised design plan to You Shanni.
Ruan Yan sat next to Lu Peishi, taking notes of the meeting carefully.
This was the first decent job assignment she received after coming to Zhuo Lu.
Although she was serious, her lack of experience caused her to stumble in recording and she couldn't keep up with the pace several times.
After Fang Yuan finished his plan report, he subconsciously glanced in Lu Peishi's direction.
It was his first time to give a report and explanation to a client independently in front of Lu Peishi, and he couldn't help but show his timidity, fearing that he would accidentally miss something because of nervousness.
You Shanni looked at the renderings displayed on the LED screen, tapping the table with her fingers. After a moment's thought, she said, "Isn't the proportion of this glass curtain wall too high? And the color of this stone seems a little dark."
Fang Yuan couldn't help but look at Lu Pei again, and the latter gave him an encouraging look, so he organized his words and continued.
"This ratio of glass curtain walls is to meet your requirements for indoor lighting uniformity. If the ratio decreases, then the energy consumption of artificial lighting will need to increase by about 20% accordingly."
"Also, if you think the stone is too dark, we recommend using imitation sandstone aluminum panels or Portuguese beige stone instead. The cost per square meter will increase by about 150 yuan and 200 yuan respectively."
Fang Yuan calmly gave explanations and suggestions, and found that the tension that had been lingering in his heart had disappeared without him noticing.
You Shanni frowned, as if she was thinking about something.
Fang Yuan added promptly, "Manager You, we will provide the latest adjusted renderings within two hours for your reference and comparison."
Yu Shanni nodded.
After the meeting, Tan Xinyi smiled and said, "Manager You, we will send the signed minutes of the three revisions confirmed today to your email."
You Shanni seemed quite satisfied with today's plan discussion and hummed, "If there are no problems, we can come over and sign directly next time."
Hearing her say this, everyone's faces showed a little joy.
The most difficult people all nodded, and victory was just around the corner.
Lu Peishi also came up and said, "I've booked a private room at the restaurant next to the company. Let's have lunch together. Our team members are here too."
You Shanni brushed her hair and said, "Thank you, but no thanks. I've booked a flight back this afternoon. I have some things to deal with at the company."
Lu Peishi heard this and nodded gently: "Then I will send someone to take you to the airport later, Yang Xiao..."
"It's okay," You Shanni looked at the person standing quietly behind him, "Just let Ruan Yan accompany me."
When everyone heard Ruan Yan's name from You Shanni's mouth, they all turned their heads to look over.
You Shanni has been working with Zhuo Lu for so long and has dealt with them so many times, but she has never remembered anyone's name except Lu Peishi and Zhuo Ming.
Ruan Yan had only been with her for two or three days, but she already remembered her, and it seemed that they had a good relationship.
Even Lu Peishi's eyes showed a little surprise, but he quickly returned to normal: "Okay."
He looked at Ruan Yan, who remained expressionless, and said, "Hand over the matters at hand and send Manager You to the airport."
"Okay," Ruan Yan followed, "I'll take the things to the seat first."
When Ruan Yan returned from the airport in the afternoon, she found that Lu Peishi was still in the company, so she went to his office to report as soon as possible.
Putting the morning meeting minutes next to him, Ruan Yan waited anxiously for his sharp comments.
Lu Peishi took a quick look at it. Although the written expression of this record was not standardized and professional enough, it had clear logic and appropriate details, and it was not without some merits.
He remembered that before You Shanni left, she mentioned Ruan Yan in front of him intentionally or unintentionally, with a tone full of affirmation.
He declined to comment, saying simply, "Manager You rarely praises people this much."
"Really?" You Shanni turned her head and continued, "She's very smart, observant, and efficient. I like her."
After a pause, he said with a half-smile, "I wish I had such a smart assistant. If she's not happy here one day, I'll poach her."
Lu Peishi chuckled softly and said nothing.
"Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu?" Ruan Yan's voice brought him back to his senses.
"This is my first time taking meeting notes. If there are any shortcomings, please tell me and I will correct them immediately."
She has a positive attitude and a sincere look in her eyes.
It was as if she had completely forgotten the "passionate confession" she made in his yard last time.
Lu Peishi also pretended that nothing happened.
He returned the records to her, but said, "Print out two copies of the 'Century Jinjiang' project proposal. Also, copy the bird's-eye view animation video that the rendering company produced this morning to the conference room computer, and then back it up to a USB drive for me."
Seeing Ruan Yan didn't say anything, he asked, "Did you remember it clearly?"
"I've got it," Ruan Yan snapped back to her senses and quickly went over his words in her mind. "Print two copies of the Century Jinjiang plan, copy the bird's-eye view animation video to the conference room computer, and then back it up to a USB drive for you!"
Lu Peishi hummed, "Go ahead."
When Ruan Yan came out of his office, she looked a little confused.
Today alone, Lu Peishi assigned her three tasks in a row, which made her feel a little flattered as she had been slacking off in the company for nearly a month.
So, is Lu Peishi relaxing his guard against her and gradually beginning to accept her intentions?
*
The next morning.
After the regular meeting, Special Assistant Zhao returned to the office and continued to report his work and schedule to Lu Peishi.
Lu Peishi leaned back in his chair, one hand lightly pressing between his eyebrows, his face full of fatigue.
"Mr. Lu, this is the information about Compound No. 121 in Beiyao Village that you requested last time," Special Assistant Zhao handed over the tablet. "I've also sent a copy of the details to your email."
Lu Peishi lowered his head and swiped the screen a few times. The old house in the picture was low, dilapidated, and crumbling. There was no sign of anyone living there.
He only glanced at her twice and said to Special Assistant Zhao, "Your wedding is next week?"
The sudden change of topic made Special Assistant Zhao stunned for a moment: "Yes... Mr. Lu."
"You don't need to go with us on this inspection of City A," Lu Peishi put the tablet down, "Just focus on preparing your own affairs for the next few days."
Wanlai has a comprehensive employee welfare system. In addition to generous salaries, it also provides generous benefits such as marriage leave and annual leave.
Special Assistant Zhao's wedding date is approaching, and there are many complicated things to prepare. Although the date does not overlap with the itinerary in City A, it is about the same time.
Business trips are tiring and physically demanding, and one is bound to be exhausted after each trip. Lu Peishi is not so heartless as to still hold the groom-to-be hostage.
"Thank you, Mr. Lu, for your care."
Special Assistant Zhao has been with Lu Peishi for so long that he has roughly figured out his temper. Although he is picky and demands perfection at work, and always looks domineering on the surface, he is actually compassionate to his employees, treats his subordinates well, and is emotionally stable. He can be considered a rare good leader.
It is much easier to get along with a boss like him than those who are more violent and sinister and who squeeze you dry.
"Then will you let Lin Yunfei go with you this time?" Special Assistant Zhao asked for his opinion.
Lu Peishi leaned back in his chair again, and just as he hummed, he suddenly changed his mind after thinking of something: "No need, I have other candidates here."
…
Ruan Yan had lunch with her colleagues and returned to the office. Everyone was immersed in the happy mood of tomorrow's weekend.
"Xiao Yanyan, you are really amazing. You can actually deal with Manager You. Tell me in secret, how did you win her over?" Liu Mengmeng put her arms around her neck and asked for advice.
Ruan Yan smiled: "I will use my persistence, soft persuasion, and perseverance to influence her little by little."
"Really? You're really amazing! She tortured me so much that I had nightmares for two days straight. I'm still traumatized by it. It's so tragic."
"It's your fault that you're not as thick-skinned as me." Ruan Yan hooked her nose.
After just a few words of laughter, Ruan Yan was suddenly told that she and Lu Peishi would go on a business trip to City A next week.
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone looked over.
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The author has something to say: Although not many people read it, I still want to say to the treasures who read it silently, I have been accumulating collections to become a v-level author recently, so I am reducing the number of words to update, and the update will be stable after the v-level~
I hope you enjoy reading this article and be happy every day~!!!
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